Rusty Spurr Ranch

Of course you should have additional inquiries! You are planning the ultimate vacation activity so we compiled a list of common questions…and not so common questions that we get asked. Of course you can call us directly to get anything answered you need.

Where are you located?
-Rusty Spurr Ranch is located an hour or so from Breckenridge, Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, Colorado in the most beautiful place EVER. We are 2.5 to 3 hours from Denver ON A GOOD DAY. That means it usually takes longer from Denver as accidents, traffic and natural disasters can close Interstate 70, especially on Fridays, Saturdays, and holiday weeks. We are 4 miles south of Kremmling, CO off Highway 9. Turn east onto County Road 387 and we are 4.5 miles up the fun, winding gravel road. It’s not a racetrack so slow down and drive smart and you will stay out of the ditch and avoid hitting the free-range cows. We include easy to follow directions in every confirmation email for your convenience as well as posting them on our website. Oh! We need to talk about parking so remember that many cars will need to fit neatly in our small parking area. Please pretend that it’s like NYC and use every inch of space sparingly…you will be rewarded with free parking like the good old days.

Can you take riders with physical or mental disabilities?
-Because we care about safety, we do not recommend our rides for most mentally or physically disabled adults or children. Please note that neither our horses nor our guides are certified in equine therapy. It is VERY important that you consider this fact before booking with us and we’d be happy to discuss your particular situation to determine feasibility or refer you to a local therapeutic riding stable. We understand this is a sensitive subject but we would hate to disappoint anyone who showed up to ride and didn’t realize that we cannot safely accommodate their needs. Just because the person has successfully participated in therapy riding in the past does not mean they can independently and safely ride one of our non-therapy horses out on our rugged open range environment. Our job is to provide a safe and fun environment for everyone on the ride and when a guest requires constant one-on-one attention, it affects the safety and experience of the other guests in the group. If you neglected to inform us or were not honest regarding the disabled guest, we will still have to charge you for the time slot you reserved even though the guest isn’t able to ride.

What is your cancellation policy?
-Because you are booking a time slot that another guest cannot use, we must have a strict cancellation policy. You and any kids should be fit enough to ride a horse both mentally and physically. We don’t offer refunds if you get scared, panic, or are too stiff to mount the horse or sit comfortably, or if you exceed our strict weight limit and weigh more than what your reservation stated. We also do not give refunds or partial refunds to guests that do not complete their activity. If you cancel 48 hours or more before your ride time, we will refund 100% of the booked activity. If you cancel within 48 hours of the scheduled ride, you will be charged 100% of the booked activity. We cannot accept travel delays, changes in plans, illnesses, hangovers, traffic jams, family arguments, moody teenagers, lack of sleep, or any other reason within 48 hours of your ride as a reason to not pay in full for the booked activity you missed. We love good stories and will post the best one each year but alas, we still need to pay our staff and feed our horses. Note: for parties of 9 or more, there is a NON-REFUNDABLE 50% of total booking cost charge anytime a group of 9 or more cancels, regardless of when it is cancelled.

What is the weight limit to ride?
-Weight limit varies as we follow a standard Body Mass Index chart and cannot take guests with a BMI (Body Mass Index) over 34 due to guest and horse safety. As an example, a guest who is 5'1" cannot exceed 180 pounds. It is the guest's responsibility to know their current weight and the accurate weights of anyone else they include in their reservation. The maximum our larger horses can carry is 230 pounds IF you are a tall rider (at least 5'9"). We weight riders privately at check-in and if you exceed your stated weight we received with your reservation, you cannot ride and you are still required to pay for the horse you reserved from the inventory even though you are not riding- no refunds are given. These are living, breathing animals. We will not overload our horses and risk them getting injured. Remember that these horses are carrying guests up and down the mountains daily during a busy summer season. We own all of our horses and they are part of our family. Their well-being is essential to be able to provide our highly rated activites. Please be honest when giving us your weight and we will promise to keep that information private. We have had to turn away numerous guests at check-in due to exceeding the weight they has listed on their reservation and we really want to avoid putting our staff and guests in this difficult situation.

What if it is raining the day of my ride?
-You are in luck! We ride rain or shine. We provide raincoats on every saddle so we are prepared for the changing Colorado weather. Many of our guests have returned from their ride and said it was the best ever. Rainbows and glittering forests are missed on all those sunny day rides. Your trip may be delayed up to 60 minutes for thunder and lightning to pass. Rides already in progress might be cut short for major lightning and will not be issued refunds. It is up to the Rusty Spurr Ranch to cancel due to any weather concerns. If we do choose to cancel before a ride has left the corral, we will refund 100% of the activity. Please remember that the weather forecast is often wrong and has ruined more vacations than the weather itself.

Do you have an age minimum?
-Of course, because horses are not bicycles. We can take children ages 8 and older on trail rides and 12 and older on cattle drives. As much as we love cookies, we cannot take bribes to allow underage children to ride, even if they own a horse and qualify for the Kentucky Derby…liability insurance writes the rules. Unfortunately we do not have trips for children under 8 years old, however we do have a comfortable cabin with indoor and outdoor picnic tables when an adult needs to stay behind with the younger children. They can explore the outdoors, go for a walk, play horseshoes or try their hand at the roping dummy.

Can we bring our dog?
-Nope. NO dogs are allowed on the ranch. We love dogs and hate to see them left in a hot vehicle so don't plan on it. We DO NOT have shaded parking. Non-ranch dogs pose a safety risk around horses and our own territorial ranch dogs, plus they can bark and ruin the peaceful experience for other guests. You can book doggie daycare in Dillon at the Dog Chalet 970-262-9076.

Are we allowed to run on the horses?
-No, we value your life as much as the horse’s. We do not promise anything faster than a walk on our rides (including private rides) due to the rugged terrain, the workload of the horses, and the many guests that bluff about their riding abilities. However we DO encourage our guests to spread out and ride off-trail wherever the terrain permits. It is not a strict nose-to-tail type ride unless you prefer to stay in line.

Are meals included or available at the ranch?

-Due to changing food service regulations, shortages and Covid-19 protocols, we are no longer offering food service meals up at the ranch. We will be selling basic pre-packaged snacks and drinks in the gift shop should you need something. Please feel free to bring your own picnic meal and utilize our indoor or outdoor seating provided to our guests free of charge. We also have numerous restaurant options in our nearby town of Kremmling.

What if I have a group of 9 or more guests?
-The more, the merrier! We are thrilled you found that many people that agreed on the same activity! Groups of 9 or more need to call the Rusty Spurr Ranch at 970-724-1123 to book their activity and 100% of the cost is paid at the time of booking. There is a 10% included gratuity for parties of 7 or more. Keep in mind that we keep 50% of the total booking cost if a group of 9 or more cancels. This is because you are reserving a lot of our time slots/resources and we want to make sure you aren’t kidding.

Are helmets required?
-The state of Colorado does not require helmet use. Our insurance mandates children 8-12 must wear a helmet when riding. We provide riding helmets at no cost when you check in however as we can have limited helmets depending on demand, the 8-12 year olds will get preference.

What should we wear?
-It’s really not a fashion show so keep in mind that you will get dirty, your low-rise jeans will get even lower when you sit on a horse (think plumber crack), your tight jeans will get even tighter when you straddle a horse (they actually rip where the sun doesn’t shine), and high heels of any kind sink in the dirt and make you trip. We recommend long pants and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes such as sneakers or cowboy boots. Hats should pass the windy day test. Sports bras are a wonderful invention. No shorts unless you want to get chapped skin and scratches from the forest. Absolutely no high heels, heavy-treaded hiking boots, clogs, shoes without heel protection (Keens), or flip-flops. Bring a light jacket or additional layer in case the weather changes. We provide bright yellow raincoats on every saddle so no one feels left out.

What should we bring?
-What do you want to lose out on the ranch? Keep in mind that we are not responsible for any items lost on the trail such as phones, wallets and keys. If you bring your phone, it is at your own risk. We recommend leaving wallets and purses, or items you will not need on the ride, in the car. You can leave keys with the office staff (they prefer horses over cars so your vehicle is safe). A locksmith is several hours away or totally unavailable anytime you need one. Bring a small to medium sized water bottle, not a Big Gulp, that can fit into the saddlebags we provide and a snack if you think you'll get hungry. Absolutely NO alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, vape pens or drugs on the ride- if this is violated, you will be kicked out, shunned, ridiculed and never allowed to return again.

Can I bring a camera?
-Absolutely! Your guide will take a photo of you and your group with a beautiful background at some point during the ride using your camera. If you choose to use your cell phone as a camera, that’s all it gets used for. Please do your family calls, business meetings, and social media posts after you get off the horse. Seriously, we have a lot of these type of offenders and it ruins the peacefulness of the ride. Large lenses and cameras usually will not fit into the saddlebags.

Where do the rides go?
-Lucky for you, we chose the most beautiful place we could find. The trail rides start around 8,000 feet in elevation and go through wildflower meadows and aspen groves as they meander through the ranch. As it is a mountain trail ride, you will go up as much as you go down. There are no cliffs or drop-offs and our horses are very sure footed. You will definitely see gorgeous mountains as we are located on one. We’ll even throw in a snow-capped Continental Divide, the Gore Mountain range, and if you’re lucky, maybe some wildlife (not your family).

Are there restrooms on the ride?
-Nope, just the pioneer toilets behind any tree if you have an emergency. We have several porta-potties near our check-in cabin that are cleaned daily so don’t think music-festival pits of despair.

Do you offer overnight accommodations?
-No, we do not offer any lodging on the ranch as we are off the grid. However, our small community of Kremmling offers several choices within 20 minutes of the ranch. Check out www.kremmlingchamber.com for lodging suggestions.

Can we bring our own horse?
-Unfortunately we cannot allow outside horses to join any of our activities due to possible disease transmission and upsetting the ranch herd dynamic. We have amazing horses to suit every ability and we wouldn’t want to make them jealous of a new kid.

Can we bring our own saddle/tack?
-Horses are like people in the sense that you wouldn’t want to share underpants. Each of our horses is specially fitted with their own set of tack to ensure they are comfortable and free of any pressure points. Plus, we need to know that all tack is in safe, clean, working order and up to our standards.

Why are your rides more expensive than other stables?                                        

-We focus on hiring mature and professional equestrians as guides, our horses are extremely well cared for and trained, and our attention to detail from start to finish ensures a fantastic guest experience. Also, unlike other riding stables, you get the duration of the ride that you paid for. We do not start the ride until AFTER you have gotten on, received instruction, and leave the corral. We feel that it is unfair to charge guests for non-riding time.